Navy Arms 1873 .357 Carbine question

[mtmike]

Hi, new to this forum. I recently bought a Navy Arms 1873 .357 carbine, manufactured by Uberti (I'm told). One difference I noticed right away is the lack of a lever lock on mine. The lever does not return tightly to the stock, seems to be a loose fit. Is this normal or do I need to see my local gunsmith? This is my first lever gun, so any info is much appreciated.
Thanks in advance -- I have both the carbine and an Uberti single six, so I'm guessing I'll spend a lot of time here

Mike

[Mecanik]

To be on the safe side I would take it to a Gunsmith and see why the slop is in it. But as long as the lever is coming all the way up when you fire it I would see no reason to think it's unsafe. Pull the side plates off and see if the toggles are coming up into the correct position. They should be swinging over center on the way up and locking at the top. There are several springs in the action that all work in unison so check and see if they are all in there and not broken off. It should be obvious when you see it work. I have two of them, One in .357 and one in .45 colt. Both are beautiful examples of workmanship and work flawlessly and can't imagine them being much trouble unless a spring is broken off. I love mine and shoot them often. I have a few comments in the forums here and a review of a .357 Uberti/Beretta Renegade you might want to read. My .45 Colt is a Stoeger/Uberti 1873. Both shoot about 1 1/2 groups at 50 yards. Sometime better.